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SkyDollar
The Aerial SkyDollar (Sign: S$; code: ASD) is the official currency of the ARC and its partner organizations. It is divided into 100 brass (More commonly known as cents.) The SkyDollar was first introduced by the ARC in 1924, and has since become the most widely traded currency. There are no countries that recognize the SkyDollar as their official currency, but in most economic centers and countries it is considered the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_facto_currency de facto currency]. One S$ is equal to approximately 15.78USD or 10.84EUR in current day (2011) and equal to 1.12USD in the TailWinds setting (1938). Denominations ---- Coinage *''Half Brass''- A round brass coin with a hole in the center, the same size as the brass. It has a gear motif around its edge on both sides. It is worth one half of a brass, or one two-hundredth of a dollar. In current day, (2011) it is equal to about US$0.08. *''Brass / Cent''- A round brass coin, stamped with the insignia of the ARC on one side and a front view of a 5 cylinder Radial Engine and three bladed propeller. Brass was chosen as the primary ingredient of the coinage because of its popular use in sensitive aircraft parts and for shell casings. It has a luster like gold, and gave an appearance of value, while also having meaning to anyone who uses a plane. It was thought to tie together the concepts of fortune and flight in its material. It is worth one one-hundredth of a dollar. In current day, (2011) it is equal to about US$0.16. *''Double Brass''- A round brass coin with milled edges. Slightly smaller than the brass and half brass, it is the smallest of the SkyDollar coinage. It is stamped with the insignia of the ARC on one side and a paw print motif on the other. The paw print has claw marks that are small enough to be a feline's, and a popular outlaw rumor says that the print belonged to ace pilot Bravo Kittycat, but this is unsubstantiated by empirical evidence. It is worth two brass, or one-fiftieth of a dollar. In current day, (2011) it is equal to about US$0.32. *''Quarter Dollar''- A round copper-nickel coin of a silver luster with scalloped edges, slightly larger than the double brass. It is stamped with the ARC insignia one one side, and a likeness of the main traffic tower of the United States Grand Central Airport on the other. It is worth twenty-five brass, or one quarter of a dollar. In current day, (2011) it is equal to about US$3.95. *''Half Dollar''- A round brass coin with seven indents ("Spanish Flower") around the edge, larger than a dollar. It and the half brass are the only SkyDollar coinage not to include the ARC insignia. Instead, on one side it displays a likeness of the design chosen in the early 1920s for the palace of nations, the yet unfinished headquarters of the League of Nations. On the other side of the coin is a representation of the Curtiss JN-4, "The Jenny"; an aircraft that served as the backbone for affordable civilian aviation after the Great War. It is worth fifty brass, or one half of a dollar. In current day, (2011) it is equal to about US$7.89. *''Dollar''- A round copper-nickel coin with a brass core and milled sides, slightly smaller than a half dollar. It is It is stamped with the insignia of the ARC on one side, and a likeness of the Wright Flyer with the words "Kitty Hawk, 1903" below. Banknotes SkyDollar banknotes are printed in 1S$, 2S$, 5S$, 10S$, 25S$, 50S$, 100S$, and in several rare denominations used only between banks, 500S$, 1,000S$, and 10,000S$. Economics ---- Monetary Economics As a currency, the SkyDollar is considered representative money, though instead of representing a stock of gold or silver, it represents the currency that was exchanged for it. The ARC uses private banking organizations and reserve banks to print SkyDollars which are then used by pilots in place of regional currency. Most countries' banking institutions will accept and exchange SkyDollars for national currency freely. The countries that do not accept the SkyDollar as currency often have private bankers or traders that can, for a higher tax rate, exchange the currency for goods or money. Exchange centers and banks consider the SkyDollar to be a contract, similar to a security, that represents its current worth to the ARC. This beneficial arrangement works well for countries as well, as exchange centers not only provide jobs to their citizens, but trading in SkyDollars provides an interest in the form of taxes. The ease of use of the currency has proven to greatly benefit early adopters of the system by bolstering their economy through increased sales of goods to international visitors. Usage